You will all think I am out of my mind, but here is the story:
I recently got a digital camera (little cheapie FujiFilm FinePixA101, 1.3 megapixels)
and I started noticing balls of light in the pictures I was taking with it (not
all the pictures and only when it flashes but not every time it flashes). The
first obvious ones appeared on some of the frames taken at Melissa's house (the
Pirate Party) on Nov. 9, 2002.

Then we tried some more shots at home and got these in the living
room (11/11/02):

And we got them in the kitchen and in the workshop office:

And even down at the "Pet Cemetery" (not too surprising):

Some "Spirit Orb" background ... just put the words "spirit
orbs" into an Internet search engine and you will have fun. It's a world-wide
thing, most often seen with digital cameras or infrared video cameras. Many
orbs have been photographed in graveyards, battle sites, Egyptian tomb areas,
and the like. But these pretty little balls of energy (multicolored like opal
in the middle with a black circle around the edges and uneven flame-like protusions
beyond that) are just as likely to be in your house.

I think the orbs are a type of spiritual/other-dimensional energy, not normally
visible to the naked eye here in the world of matter. I believe that when the
body dies, the spirit, with all its memories, personality, and intelligence,
lives on in a different vibration/dimension. I also believe that this spirit
world is all around us: life energy does not die or cease to exist when the
body does; it simply changes form. I believe that these orbs are individual
spirits (human or animal) whose life energy & consciousness are showing
themselves in the form of balls of energy. Something about the digital camera
flash makes them seen.

"Orbs are the most common configuration pattern for the spirits of the
dead. The sphere is considered the ideal vehicle for moving about. The spirit
orb may represent one or more spirits or souls. Documented evidence suggest
that these Orbs may allow multiple spirits to travel together. Most often an
Orb in motion will leave a contrail since it is moving faster than the shutter
speed of the camera. Orbs are the essence of who we were in life, our intelligence,
our emotions, our personalities and our attitudes are all retained within this
essence or soul. Often these orbs can be observed with the human eye as they
past through the wall or zip across the room."

Of course, other things make orb-like flashes on digital pictures, too. The
ghostweb.com site says:

"Dust particles suspended in the air are often thought to be spirit orbs
simply because they are also orb shaped. If the IGHS Standards & Protocols
are not followed, the chances of photographing dust particles instead of spirit
orbs are very high. Most digital cameras will capture suspended dust particles,
both indoors and outdoors. Most people are amazed that their homes contain suspended
dust particles, but they do. Heaters, vents, fans and other devices move the
tiny dust particles on currents of air not seen by our eyes. The orb shaped
anomalies maybe out-of-round, broken or chucked, may appear as shield shape,
diamond shape or octogonal depending on which camera is used. Any straight line
found on an anomaly means it is produced by light being reflected back into
the camera causing the anomaly. Spirit orbs never have straight lines of any
kind. Most dust particles appear in clusters and resemble bubbles."

I'll be doing my own experiment to rule out dust or other matter and I'll post
my test results below when I get it done. Meantime, I believe they are the real
deal ... Spirit Orbs!

So are these helping spirits (angels/guides)? Friendly or tricking or demonic?
Lost souls of the dead? Who knows ... I like to think they are people/animals
who used to live here as well as helper spirits like guardian angels. It works
for me and feels right in my heart.

That's my belief and I am sticking to it! I will post more orb pictures below
as I get them. Stay tuned!

Books, DVDs and Seminars about Orbs

When I first started this site (2002), there were no books or films or classes
about orbs, especially ones that said what I believe (at least some of the orbs
in digital photographs are spiritual manifestations). In 2005, I found one book
and added it to this page. But, in 2007, availability exploded ... and I moved
it all to its own page. CLICK
HERE to go there.

OK, I've got some more orbs for you ...

11/12/02: These first two were taken in the bedroom while
Gordy was taking a nap ... unfortunately, the flash woke him up ... :-(

11/14/02: These next nine shots were taken outside with
fill-flash ... we had several days of heavy rain beforehand, so the odds of
dust in the air is very low. Also, there wasn't any rain or water dripping out
of the trees.

I went outside last night at dusk (11/16/02) and this morning just before
dawn (11/17/02) to see what I could see. It was pretty amazing. I put
the pictures on separate pages and linked the most amazing shots to the full-sized,
unretouched photos on their own pages. I don't know what to think anymore ...
my skeptical, scientific side says there must be a rational, material-world
explanation ... my spiritual, philosopher side says the explanation is not of
this dimension. Anyway, here they are (and it looks a whole lot darker outside
than it was):

Over the months, my orb pictures have brought teasing, disbelief and even ridicule
from others. Almost without exception, people say it is my camera (cheap, defective,
something) or my memory card or something else "material." Fujifilm's
official stance is "If white specks appear on the image when the flash
is used, this is probably caused by light from the flash reflecting off airborne
dust particles." Nonetheless, I still think it is something more. Here
are some interesting shots taken over the Christmas holiday 2002.